Billie Holiday: How Her Signature Song Led to Her Being an Enemy of the FBI

It’s not in the reports much like the lynchings of today or the murder of Martin Luther King! He didn’t die from the bullet, he was murdered. If you look up the court rulings, the government was found guilty but they don’t teach that narrative because they DO NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW! For the [...]

Have You Heard of Alice Augusta Ball?

Yes, Leprosy was before our time! But if you have heard of it, you should have heard of Alice Augusta Ball. She was an American chemist who developed the "Ball Method", the most effective treatment for leprosy during the early 20th century.  She was the first woman and first African American to receive a master's [...]

Before There Was A Model T., There Was C.R. Patterson and Sons

It is no accident that most of us have never heard of Frederick Douglas Patterson. He was an American entrepreneur known for the Greenfield-Patterson automobile of 1915, built in Ohio. He later converted his business to the Greenfield Bus Body Company. Built by the first African American-owned automobile manufacturer, The C.R. Patterson & Sons Company, [...]

Before Misty There Was Janet Collins

Janet wanted to be a ballerina in the 1930s and 40s, a time when racial segregation was widespread in the United States. Janet pursued dance with a passion, despite being rejected from discriminatory dance schools. When she was accepted into the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo as a teenager on the condition that she paint [...]

Let’s teach our children about real American heroes like Robert Smalls!

Robert was a mixed man. (That’s right, his FATHER was his owner). He planned to plot his escape after being unable to afford $800 for his, his wife, and his children’s freedom. Since he couldn’t afford to buy freedom, he stole the ship he worked on. Delivered his own family and many others to freedom. He went [...]

Mary Seacole Was Our First Nurse, But All You Hear About Is Florence Nightingale!

Mary Seacole, née Mary Jane Grant, (born 1805, Kingston, Jamaica - died May 14, 1881, London, England), Jamaican businesswoman who provided sustenance and care for British soldiers at the battlefront during the Crimean War. Again, she was 15 years older than Florence! Florence Nightingale receives all the accolades when Mary Seacole helped train her on how [...]

Hoop Earrings Originated in Africa around 2500 B.C.E.! (Also, $5 Earring Sale)

As a small child my idea of beauty was red lips and big hoop earrings. That was the idea I had in my head for my ideal look when I grew up. My mother would never let me wear large earrings as a child, but she always kept me in little hoops. I couldn't wait [...]

Let’s teach our children about real American heroes like Robert Smalls!

Robert was a mixed man. (That's right, his FATHER was his owner). He planned to plot his escape after being unable to afford $800 for his, his wife, and his children's freedom. Since he couldn't afford to buy freedom, he stole the ship he worked on. Delivered his own family and many others to freedom. He went [...]

Mary Seacole was our first Black nurse, but all you hear about is Florence Nightingale!

Mary Seacole, née Mary Jane Grant, (born 1805, Kingston, Jamaica – died May 14, 1881, London, England), Jamaican businesswoman who provided sustenance and care for British soldiers at the battlefront during the Crimean War. Again, she was 15 years older than Florence! Florence Nightingale receives all the accolades when Mary Seacole helped train her on how [...]

This isn’t just Black History; this is White American History

This is Sgt. Isaac Woodward, in 1946 he was just 26 years old. A decorated war veteran, he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army. He was traveling home on the bus, back to the very place I had my own run in with the police, South Carolina. Sgt. Isaac Woodward was wearing his uniform. [...]